Apparatus for removing dust.



No 847,948. PATENTED MAR. 19, 1907. D. T. KENNEY.

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING DUST.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.16.1903.

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D. T. KENNEY. APPARATUS FOR REMOVING DUST.

APPLICATION FILED MAR, 16 1903.

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Parana enrich DAVID T. KENNEY, OF NORTH PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO VACUUM CLEANER COMPANY, OF NORTH PLAIN FIELD, NEW JERSEY, A'

CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 19, 1907.

Application filed March 16,1903. Serial No. 147.968.

To all whom it may concern} Be it known that I, DAVID T. KENNEY, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the borough of North Plainfield, in the county of Somerset and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements-in. A paratus for Removing Dust, of which the tion'. I

The invention relates to apparatus for removing dust from carpets, curtains,- or other fabrics and floors, walls, ceilings, or other places where dust accumulates.

In the present invention suction is utilized so that the dust is drawn into the apparatus and entirely removed from the fabrics or surfaces at the place of operation. The: dust is separated from the'air within separators in an efficient, reliable,and practical manner.

My invention consists of certain features of construction'and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and then particularly claimed.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings, which form a part of this application, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of parts of two cars-of a railway-train, showing in elevation the apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is avertical sec-- tion through the head of a hand implement particularly adapted for floor-cleaning. 1 Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the entire hand implement of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the lower part of hand implement of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the head of thehand implement on the line a m of Fig, 3.

Fig. 6 is a transverse section through the separators on the line x 21: of Fig. 7 Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the separators on the line 6 23 of Fig. 6.

The ap 'aratus' comprises a hand implement who is applied to and moved over the surface to be cleaned and through which the dust and dirt is drawn by suction, a double separator in which a partial vacuum is maintamed, a suction-creating device which is preferably a piston-pump for maintainingthe vacuum in the separator, air'connections between the pump and separator, and air connections consisting at least in part of flexible-pipe connections between the hand' im plement and the separator.

ollowing is a specifica In the form of hand implement illustrated in detail in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 a stock 1, which is in the shape of a nose or nozzle and incloses a suction-chamber, has formed on it a contact-surface 2, which is pierced by a narrow and restricted slot 3. The slot is in unobstructed communication with the chamber and is bounded and defined b lips which surround the slot. These lips orming the. edgesjat the outer end or mouth of the slot also form the contact-surface of the cleaner,

union 4. The suction-chamberin the stock is merely a communicating passa e-way for the air between the slot and the tu ular'portion of this passage-way. It is of sufficlent capacity to freely allow the air to passand is without sharp corners or enlarged portions where the velocity of the air can become re-v ducedand the dust deposited. In order that surfaces forming the'mt erior of the chamber and the slot can be made smooth and freed from all irregularities before the two arts are joined together, the stock is made o two These are joined along the hue 5,

pieces. usually by brazing. In this form the handle, 6, which is joined to the stock by the union 4, is tubular and serves to conduct the air and suspended dust and dirt-from the suction-chamber in the stock. The up or end of the handle is connected through a union 7 with a flexible pipe 8, the othereni. of which is connected through a union 9 with a pipe 10, leading to the sepaiaton- All the unions, elbows, and other pipe-fittings are designed to make flush inner. joints, so that the passa e-way for the air, dust, and dirt through t e and sharp ben Other forms of=handimplements may be pipes will be free from corners used-as, for example, that illustrated and described in my Patent N 0. 826,513, dated July 17 1906, and filed as a division of this application.

The drawings illustrate two separatorsa dry separator and a wet separatorthrough which the air is passed successively in order to free it from the dust and dirt beforeit is drawn into the pump. The dry separator comprises a verticalcylindrical casing 20,

movement is imparted to the air in the sep' arator. The centrifugal force due to this rotary movement tends to throw the dust in the air against the cylindrical'side walls, and the separation is further assisted bythe reduced velocity of the air in the chamber and by the reduced carrying power of the air, owing to its additional rarefication in the cylinder. The course of the air is in a descending spiral between the baflle-throat and the side walls toward the bottom of the casing and thence upward with reduced velocity through the baffle-throat, which is of much greater diameter. than the inlet. A wiremeshscreen 24 may, as shown in the drawings, be added over the top of the bafflethroat. From the upper chamber the air passes through an air-outlet 25. This airoutlet should also be directed tangentially. The heavier particles of dust are separated from the air in this separator. Owing to the partial exhaustion of the air from the casing, the exterior walls are subjected to the atmos pheric pressure, and it is necessary that they be of such strength that they will not be collapsed by' this pressure. As this is equally necessary for the walls of the compartment both above and below the flange of the interior flue or baffle-throat, it is desirable both for strengthand simplicity of construction that both chambers be inclosed by the same unitary casing. The interior flue andflange are entirel relieved thereby of pressure strains. The hottom of the casing is funnel-shaped and is provided with an opening which may, as shown in the drawings, be closed by a screw-cap 26. This cap is removable to let out the accumulated dirt. A stirrer 27 can be operated inside the funnel by a crank 28 outside the casing to break up the dirt so that it will more rapidly pass out. The top 29 of the casing'is removably secured b bolts.

From t e-air-outlet of the dry separator cylinder.

the air, with such fineeand light dust as'it may still carry in suspension, passes through a pipe 30 to the wet separator. This co1nprises a casing 31, which is conveniently made of similar construction to the casing of the dry separator in the form of a vertlcal The lower portion 32 of this casing is filled with water or other suitable liquid and constitutes a liquid-chamber. T here is an air-inlet 33 dipping into the li uid to which the pipe 30 is connected, and t e air,

with the dust which may still be carried by the air, isdischarged into the liquid. Since the vacuum in the dry separator will be sustained for a longer time than the vacuum in the wet separator, when the pump is stopped a gravity-valve 34 is provided to prevent water from being forced over into the dry separator. Between the air-inlet and the surface of the liquid a transverse partly-perforated plate 35 is secured. This plate is preferably horizontal. Its function is to break up the bubbles of air rising in the liquid into smaller bubbles, so that the dust remaining in the air will be more completely brought into contact with the liquid and removed thereby. The rapid discharge of the air-bubbles through the liquid-surface from the restricted perforated portion 35 of the plate causes a spray, and a deflector-plate 36 9 is supported above the surface of the liquid over the perforations of the perforated plate to catch and turn back the spray. The dellector is concave and extends beyond the perforated part of the plate in order the better to arrest the spray which isdashed against its central portion and runs off at the periphery. The air discharged under the deflector passes. out under the edges and through the liquid which is drippin back from the deflector and is thereby still further purified. The velocity of the air is reduced by its passage through the large area of the annular space between the hood and easing, so that the liquid drops are not carried upr ward, except, possibly, in light vapor, which is largely precipitated at once, owing to the further rarefaction and consequent cooling of the air. The purified air then rises in the chamber of the casing above the liquid, passes through screens 37 38, which create an even and slow current'above the deflector, and catch and turn back such drops of the liquid as may reach them. The air is drawn out at the outlet 39throughthe pipe 40 to the suction-creating device.

The lower end of the casing is funnelshaped and is closed by a valve 41. This is opened to discharge the liquid and solid matter which is separated in this casing. A li uid-pipe 42 is provided for filling the liquir chamber of the separator, and a sight-gage 43 is provided to show the level of the liquid.

The bulk of the dirt is separated in the dry separator, and the liquid in the wet separator more, if the wet separator is arranged to disdoes not become foul as rapidly.- Furthercharge through traps into drainage-pipes the dry separator will separate lint and dust that would become thick mud, which if allowed to pass into the wet separator and out into the drainage pipes and traps would clog the latter. The dry separator and the wet separator combined are also important as a safeguard to keep injurious dust and dirt from reaching the pump.

The pipe conducts the air to the suctioncreating device. In Fig. 1 I show a steampump comprising a steam-cylinder 44'and an air-cylinder 45, intake-valves 46, and exhaust-valves 47. Pipe connections 48 lead from a four-way cock 49 to the intake-valves, and pipe connections 50 lead from the exhaust-valves to the four-way cock. The pipe 40 also leads into the four-way cock from the wet separator, and this separator is ordinarilyconnected through the pipe 40, one-of the channels of the four-way cock, and the connection 48 to the intake-valves of the pump. The air exhausted from the pump 1s discharged through the port 51 of the fourway cock. If desired, connections maybe made between this port and a point out of doors where the discharge will be less likely to inconvenience an one. The four-way cock or other convenient valve arrangement enables a reversal of the action of thepump from an exhaust to a pressure pump should this reversal prove desirable for blowing out the separator or cleaning the screens.

A cock 52 is provided for relieving the vacuum in the dr separator when the pump is stopped and it 1s to be emptied of dust.

The systein herein described can be used for cleaning corridors, halls, or walls cov- 5 cred with hard wood, tiling, marble, rubber, I or other material requiring scrubbing with water, the

dust being first taken up, the surface .then eing scrubbed, and the wash- Water taken up by the system in the same manner as the dry dust is taken up by it;

For carpets or other fabrics requiring scrubbing it is equally adaptable, the suds and water being 'drawn out by passing the sweeper over them. At the same time the sweeper operates to dry the surface or fabric.

The specific form of hand implement shown herein forms the subject-matter of my application filed June 6, 1906, Serial No. 320,437, and being claimed therein is not claimed in 'this application, it being shown merely to illustrate one of the many formswhichthe hand implementmay assume.

Without limiting myself i to the details shown, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a suction cleaning ap aratus, the combination of a suction-nozz e adapted to be moved over the surface to which it is applied for cleaning'and having a narrow inlet-slot, a power-operated suction-pump, and impurity-collecting means between said nozzle and pump adapted to remove the impurities from the air and revent fouling the pump while permitting t e working vacuum to be maintained at the nozzle, said impurity-collecting means including a dry collecting device through which the airpasses from the suction-nozzle and a li uid-separator between said device and t e vacuum-pump, substantially as described.

Signed at New York city, (borough of Man hattan,) New York, this 14th day of March, 1903.

' DAVID 'r. KENNEY.

Witnesses;

THoMAs EWING, Jr., RICHARD S. HARVEY. 

